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Old March 2nd, 2009, 10:37 PM   #1
muffinman
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Gear Review 1: Icon Merc Gloves, Icon Victory Denim Jean, Dainese Laguna Seca Jacket

Thought I'd help carry my own weight around here by doing a review on the various gear I've ordered over the past few weeks... starting with Part 1:

For reference, I'm 5'6", 145-150lb and usually wear size Small/Medium for shirts and 32x30 for jeans. I have an average to somewhat athletic build and thinner legs.

Dainese Laguna Seca Jacket





Styling
Great, classy yet sporty/aggressive styling. I've gotten tons of comments about the jacket It's edgy without being boring and oozes "quality". The Dainese demon logo on the arms and back have reflective piping/patches built-in. I dig it.

Quality
As expected, given the price ($399), the quality of the leather is TOP NOTCH. It is perforated all over the front (chest, collar and arms) but not in the back... I actually don't see any exhaust vents in the back outside of the spandex piece underneath each armpit. The leather is very soft to the touch, right out of the box, and no break-in is required. I've been wearing this for about a month now and it still looks brand spankin new.

Also comes in white... looks pretty cool but is a little too Michael Jackson for me.

Armor
The armor is very substantial, turtle-shell style (soft padding on the inside, plastic shell on the outside). Legit CE-approved stuff here... nice. Shoulder coverage is more substantial than most jackets I've tried on... the same goes for the elbow armor (extends pretty much all the way down the forearm).

NO BACK protector (not even foam) is included - kind of lame considering the price tag. I had to pick up a Shield Air G1 protector ($80) to slip into the pocket (remember to slide it into the middle layer). I wish the armor would stay up a little higher up the back when you're standing to minimize the "hunchback" effect but it sits perfectly when you're in a sportbike riding position.



Misc
No liner included or available... it's got a mesh inner lining to flow air - I'd say it's designed to be a Spring/Summer jacket. Fits true to size.. I rock the 38/48. Also there is NO zipper that attaches to riding pants - you'll have to get one custom sewn.

So to summarize the things that are missing from this jacket: pant zipper, extra liner, back protector ... you have to remember that the Laguna Seca is Dainese's entry level leather jacket - as with any Dainese gear, you have to pay to play.

Crash Test
I took a low-speed parking lot spill and landed on the left side of my body. Outside of a very small scuff mark on my shoulder (roughly 1cm in diameter), everything still looks new. I didn't feel a thing



Part 2 will consist of reviews for:
- Joe Rocket Super Street Boots
- Draggin' Liners w/ Knee Armor
- Alpinestars Padded Shorts
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Old March 2nd, 2009, 10:39 PM   #2
muffinman
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Icon Merc Short Glove

The carbon fiber knuckle armor looks cool - aggressive styling. Quality appears decent.

It is a bit stiff out of the box and will need to be broken in. The extra padding on the heel of the palm and the outer edge of the pinky finger is nice (more on the palm padding later). The inner "webbing" area between the thumb and index fingers is re-inforced as well. Overall, it felt... "sturdy". A bit on the thick side... the controls are harder to feel and I had to readjust how I used my throttle (at least until it broke in).

the gloves felt pretty substantial, so I was surprised to find that it flows a good amount of air (credit the perforated upper hand portion and fingers)

Crash Test
A bit bummed out at how the gloves held up in my low-speed parking lot crash (the same one alluded to above). As you can see in the picture below, the palm padding completely detached on the side facing the fingers... the padding area is separately constructed from the glove and only single-stitched onto the palm... pretty much gave no resistance and I ended up getting a fatty bruise on my palm where the padding should've been. The glove is still useable though and considering how much coin I dropped on these, I'm gonna keep using 'em.

The leather held up well.. minimal scuff marks and no other tears... no abrasion anywhere on my hands.



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Old March 2nd, 2009, 10:40 PM   #3
muffinman
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Icon Victory Riding Denim Jeans

Just got these... two words - extremely comfortable. Substantial yet... soft. The styling is very nice and the jeans are cut very casual. If it weren't for the elastic bands at the knees and inner groin (which flows air and increases comfort in the riding position), you'd probably be able to rock these jeans at the club and not look out of place. Looks especially nice with my Vans sneakers. The color is nice (the black elastic version is a bit darker than the red/blue combo).

A bit on the baggy side... not too bad - plenty of room to fit some leg armor underneath without looking out of place. Aramid/kevlar lining behind both knees and the hip area for extra abrasion resistance. I wear Draggin' Liners (kevlar thermals) underneath for full coverage. Very deep and tight front pockets... once you put something in there, it is not coming out.

The jeans are also cut a bit long - bunches up when you're standing but is perfect when you're in the riding position. The leg openings are on the larger side - definitely boot-cut.

I like these WAY better than Icon's other denim products (Strongarm has the goofy skull on the back and no hip reinforcement) and the JR Rocket Jeans.

One thing I hate are the "zipper" buttons... was never a fan of those things.





Fits true to size... I ordered the 32 black.

Last futzed with by muffinman; March 3rd, 2009 at 02:44 AM.
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Old March 3rd, 2009, 06:59 AM   #4
noche_caliente
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Were you wearing the jeans when you went down? and I'm sorry, but I had to lol at you twisiting around to get a pic of your butt in them

And you might want to update your profile since it still says you don't have a bike
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Old March 3rd, 2009, 04:50 PM   #5
muffinman
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Quote:
Originally Posted by noche_caliente View Post
Were you wearing the jeans when you went down? and I'm sorry, but I had to lol at you twisiting around to get a pic of your butt in them

And you might want to update your profile since it still says you don't have a bike
Haha, done, thanks for the heads up.

I went down while wearing my regular jeans from Express. It held up decently... some tears and scuffs here and there but I was wearing my Icon Leg Field Armor at the time. The armor did it's job.. not a scratch on me

LOL no worries, I should've put up gratuitous ass-shot warnings... as you can see, I'm not very flexible either
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